What is happening
According to the remove.bg FAQ and its General Terms (updated September 9, 2026), the standalone remove.bg website and accounts close on December 1, 2026 at 9:00 CET (00:00 Pacific, 03:00 Eastern). Background removal moves into Canva, and the self-service remove.bg API moves to Leonardo.Ai, which is also part of Canva. Enterprise API contracts continue as normal.
What it means for your account
| You have | What happens on December 1 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go or rollover credits | They expire and are not refunded | Use them before the deadline |
| Monthly plan | Ends on its own; a final renewal on or after November 1 is free | Nothing, or cancel earlier in the dashboard |
| Annual plan | Ends; unused time after December 1 is refunded pro rata to your original payment method | Nothing |
| Self-service API key | Stops accepting requests | Migrate to the Leonardo.Ai API or another provider |
| Photoshop plugin and other integrations | Discontinued | Pick a new workflow |
| Invoices and credit usage report | No longer downloadable | Export them from your Account page now |
Checklist before December 1
- Download your invoices and credit usage report from your remove.bg Account page.
- Spend any remaining credits on the images you still need.
- If you call the API from code, plan the move: the Leonardo.Ai request and response formats differ, and you need a new account and key.
- Choose where you will remove backgrounds from December onwards.
Where to remove backgrounds after remove.bg
- Canva is the official home for the feature. Background Remover is part of Canva's paid plans, which suits you if you already design in Canva.
- Leonardo.Ai API is the official successor for developers. It is billed in prepaid USD API credit, separate from Leonardo web plans.
- Other online editors such as Photoroom and Adobe Express also remove backgrounds; they process images on their servers and have their own free and paid tiers.
- Cutout Forever (this site) runs the AI in your browser, so photos are never uploaded. There are no credits: free exports are up to 1,500 px with no watermark, and Pro is $4 a month for full resolution and batches of up to 100. It is a browser tool, not an API.
For a side-by-side comparison, see Cutout Forever vs remove.bg. Shutdown details on this page come from remove.bg's own FAQ, terms and API page, and Leonardo.Ai's migration guide. Check them for anything that affects your account.